Back in the dim dark 1980s—specifically, in the spring of 1980—I took my lovely girlfriend (soon to be wife, a few years later) to Los Angeles, Karloffornia (thank you, Forrest J. Ackerman!) for the very first time, in celebration of her graduation from ODU.

We had a wonderful time, but the things that struck me the most were, first, the sheer amount of prostitutes that hung out in a specific area of Sunset Boulevard, most of them wearing halters and brightly-colored hot pants. There were so many, it looked like they were holding a convention. Living sequestered for all of my then 22 years in small-town Hampton, Virginia, I had never seen a hooker before in real life. This spectacle on Sunset was something out of a rental video.

Not that I ever rented that type of video.

The other thing that struck me was something I also had never seen before.

I was driving a rental car on Sunset Blvd, and passed by another spectacle that brought a huge smile to my face. I said to Maria as we drove by, “That was a giant, spinning Bullwinkle statue.”

Yes. Yes, it was.

I have remembered that simple, quick glimpse of Bullwinkle for forty years.

It still exists, and has a secret history that most people have never heard of. Until now.

Enjoy the long and comprehensive history of the Bullwinkle statue. This story is an example of journalism that I love.

(And thanks to Mark Evanier and his wonderful blog for linking to this story!)